As I
mentioned in my previous article about JOSHUA'S TAVERN, Maine is a
state filled with great history and the birthplace to numerous American
legends. One of those people is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Born in Portland, Maine in 1807,
Longfellow became an internationally renowned
writer and an American phenomenon.

Longfellow grew up in Portland and at the very young age of 14 began
attending Bowdoin College in Brunswick. He graduated in 1825 along
with Nathaniel Hawthorne, in what I have to imagine is the single most
impressive graduating class any college English department has ever
produced. He lived out his later years in Cambridge, Massachusetts
teaching
at Harvard and traveling the world. But even into his fifth
decade, he
still thought of his hometown. In 1858 he wrote the poem “MY LOST
YOUTH” which reflected on his time growing up in Portland. It
began
with these beautiful lines:

Often I think of the beautiful townThat is seated by the sea;Often in thought go up and downThe pleasant streets of that dear old town,And my youth comes back to me.

Portland
still has that same
enchanted feeling. While there, you can
visit the house where Longfellow was raised. It is now a
museum. But
you can not visit the place where the American icon was born.
That
house no longer exists. The location is now home to one of
Portland’s
other great legendary attractions, the SHIPYARD
BREWING COMPANY.

Now, I imagine some will find it near blasphemy for me to compare a
literary giant like Longfellow with something as seemingly trivial as a
brewery. But click on the American Public House Review homepage
and
have a look at the top banner. There we see that it was indeed
Longfellow who said, "He who has not
been at a tavern knows not what aparadise it is!”
I can only imagine a man with a love of great taverns
also shares a fondness and respect for fine brewers. Is it so
hard to
believe that Mr. Longfellow would not mind seeing his old home turned
to such good use?

The Shipyard would surely have done this great drinker proud. The
company seems to go out of its way to wear Maine’s alluring nautical
heritage on its sleeve. The sea surrounds Portland, and the
city’s very existence is drenched by its salted waves. It is a
fascination that Longfellow also shared. Once again, I turn to
his words for inspiration:

Ah! what pleasant visions haunt me
As I gaze upon the sea!
All the old romantic legends,
All my dreams, come back to me.

Sails of silk and ropes of sandal,
Such as gleam in ancient lore;
And the singing of the sailors,
And the answer from the shore!

A NICE ARRAY OF BEERS ON TAP

THE TASTING BAR

You
can visit the brewery and take a tour of the facility. But
while everyone smiles and shows interest in the brewing process, we are
all waiting for the chance to hit the tasting room. At the tour’s
end, you happily belly-up to a quaint little brick bar for an
opportunity to try a selection of great beers. Each in their own
way, they all seem to represent not only Maine’s nautical heritage but
also a terrific and growing brewing tradition.